Search

Arizona authorities have taken action against Medicaid fraud targeting Native Americans, resulting in the termination of contracts with numerous clinics. However, this has left some patients without treatment, with over 575 callers to a state hotline for displaced patients ending up homeless. Some clinics that were eventually cleared by the state attempted to continue treating patients without compensation but faced financial difficulties. The Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) suspended Medicaid reimbursements to providers accused of overbilling or paperwork errors, leaving hundreds without treatment or counseling. While AHCCCS claims its actions were necessary to prevent Medicaid exploitation, concerns have been raised about the lack of available providers, particularly in Indigenous communities. Advocates, known as Stolen People, Stolen Benefits, are assisting unhoused individuals in the Phoenix metro area. The article highlights the experiences of individuals who have been unable to access proper treatment for addiction and mental health issues due to fraudulent treatment programs and the suspension of healthcare providers. Although the state has implemented reforms to combat fraud, many providers still struggle to receive reimbursement, resulting in a decrease in available treatment options. The article emphasizes the impact of these issues on individuals and their families, emphasizing the need for improved access to healthcare services. [Extracted from the article]

The American Museum of Natural History is closing some of its exhibits that display Native American cultural materials in response to new federal regulations aimed at returning ancestral remains and sacred objects to tribes. The museum, known for excavating Native American gravesites, is evaluating its compliance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act and consulting with tribes. The Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago has also announced the covering of several displays of tribal items. ProPublica's reporting shows that at least 160 tribes may be eligible to claim items from the American Museum of Natural History. The new regulations prohibit the display and research of items subject to the act without tribal consent and close a loophole that allowed museums to keep items by claiming they were culturally unidentifiable. Museums will now have to determine, in consultation with tribes, which community can rightfully claim items in their collections. Despite some progress, many human remains and sacred objects still remain in museum collections. [Extracted from the article]

In the letters, the senators asked the universities and museums to respond to a list of written questions within two months, including how they decide whether to grant or deny tribes' requests and how long they take to make decisions. More than a dozen senators are pressing for the museums and universities that hold the most Native American remains to explain why they've failed for decades to return thousands of them to tribes as required by federal law. [Extracted from the article]

Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii has called on museums and universities to expedite the repatriation of Native American remains and sacred objects that were taken from Indigenous burial sites. Schatz emphasized that institutions have a moral obligation to comply with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) and return these items to the tribes. Despite the passage of NAGPRA in 1990, many museums have delayed or resisted repatriation requests. However, recent progress has been made, with some museums committing to improve their repatriation records and close exhibits or remove sensitive items from display. [Extracted from the article]

Under new repatriation rules, museums must gain consent from Native American tribes before displaying their cultural items. While some museums have rushed to remove Native American objects from display, the Museum of Us in San Diego has not had to do the same. This is because the museum adopted a policy five years ago that addressed the concerns of the new rules, admitting to past mistakes and excluding Indigenous perspectives. Other museums, such as the American Museum of Natural History and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, have closed or covered displays as they review information about the items and meet the mandates of the new regulations. The Museum of Us and History Colorado have already taken measures to work with tribal nations in deciding what items should be displayed and how. The repatriation process mandated by the new regulations is already underway at the Museum of Us, which has transferred items to tribes that request them. History Colorado has returned all items and human remains subject to the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) to tribes and continues to collaborate with tribal representatives on exhibits. The museum has learned from past mistakes, such as excluding tribal representatives from the planning of an exhibit on the Sand Creek Massacre, and now works directly with tribal members on exhibits. The museum's updated repatriation policy ensures that the wishes of tribes are honored, even if they change over time. The article emphasizes the importance of museums acknowledging their past and working with tribes to display and store Native American items in a culturally sensitive manner. [Extracted from the article]

American museums and universities have repatriated a record number of ancestral remains and sacred objects to tribal nations this year, with an estimated 18,800 Native American ancestors being returned. This increase in repatriation follows a ProPublica investigation that exposed institutions' failure to comply with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) and their exploitation of loopholes to keep remains. The investigation also revealed that some institutions, including Harvard University, conducted destructive scientific studies on remains without informed consent. The attention brought by ProPublica's reporting has led to widespread acknowledgment of past failures and promises of regulatory changes to improve the repatriation process. [Extracted from the article]

New federal regulations have been implemented by the Biden administration to address the long-standing issues surrounding the repatriation of Native American remains and burial items. The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) was intended to facilitate the return of these items, but many tribes have been waiting for decades. The new regulations aim to strengthen the role of Indigenous communities in the repatriation process by requiring institutions to defer more to tribes' knowledge and history. ProPublica's investigative series revealed that some museums and universities have exploited loopholes in NAGPRA to delay or resist repatriation. The regulations will also eliminate the designation of "culturally unidentifiable" and require institutions to consult with tribes to determine rightful ownership. [Extracted from the article]

This article explores the ongoing efforts of the Wabanaki tribes in Maine to reclaim the ancestral remains held by Harvard University's Peabody Museum. The Penobscot, Passamaquoddy, Maliseet, and Mi'kmaq tribes have provided substantial evidence of their cultural and ancestral connections to the remains, but Harvard has consistently denied their requests. The article sheds light on how prestigious museums, including Harvard, have exploited loopholes in the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) to delay repatriation and conduct invasive analyses on the remains. Despite recent promises to expedite repatriation, Harvard has yet to return more than half of the remains in its possession. The article concludes by noting that the Wabanaki tribes finally received their ancestors' remains in September 2021. [Extracted from the article]

The University of California, Berkeley, has taken a significant step towards repatriating nearly half of the 9,000 Native American remains it holds in its anthropology museum. The university plans to return 4,440 ancestral remains and nearly 25,000 items, such as jewelry and baskets, that were excavated from burial sites in the San Francisco Bay Area. This move follows consultations with tribes, including those not recognized by the federal government. UC Berkeley has been criticized in the past for dismissing repatriation requests, but a change in leadership has led to a commitment to supporting these efforts. [Extracted from the article]

Credit: Russel Albert Daniels forProPublica Pasqual descends a mesa along Chaco Canyon. Credit: Russel Albert Daniels for ProPublica Chief Medicine Crow Credit: Edward S. Curtis/Library ofCongress Pueblo Bonito contains dozens of kivas, or undergroundceremonial spaces. Credit: RusselAlbert Daniels for ProPublica Fajada Butte juts up from the plain near Chaco Canyon inNew Mexico. [Extracted from the article]

Pursuing Research, Not Repatriation Soon after NAGPRA's passage, NSF records show, some institutionsbegan to seek grants to preserve Ancestral remains for futurescientific study, even though Congress had called for museums tobe "expeditious" in returning them to tribes. Martha Graham, who oversaw the museum's NAGPRA compliance in the1990s, told ProPublica that because multiple tribes claimed tiesto the canyon, institutions needed even more time than the parkservice had granted them to consult with the tribes. The Repatriation Project Federal agencies have awarded millions of dollars toscientific studies on Native American human remains, underminingthe goals of NAGPRA as tribes fight for repatriation ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses ofpower. But as ProPublica reportedthis year, U.S. museums continue to hold the remains of more than100,000 Native American ancestors, almost all of which they sayare "culturally unidentifiable", meaning they are unable todetermine which tribe, if any, can rightfully claim them. [Extracted from the article]